


And then there is no choice

by andantecantible



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-20
Updated: 2010-12-20
Packaged: 2017-10-13 19:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/141149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andantecantible/pseuds/andantecantible
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Johnny's not sure how he feels about Stéphane. Meanwhile, Stéphane has a plan to help him decide.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And then there is no choice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maybelater](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybelater/gifts).



Johnny’s not sure how he feels about Stéphane. It’s not like he hates him or anything, he just hasn’t decided whether he really likes him or not.  
He knows that part of the problem stems from the fact that he gets asked whether he’s friends with Stéphane, or if he has an opinion on Stéphane’s personality almost on a day-to-day basis. He finds it particularly funny when the question is asked by a bright-eyed teenaged girl, clearly hoping that he will say, “Oh, Stéphane? He’s a close friend; without a doubt my favorite person in the world.”

*~*

When news comes out that he’ll be skating with Stéphane in Russia, the usual questions start piling in from every social media source possible: twitter, facebook, vkontake….all the fan girls want to know, _Are you excited to be doing show with Stéphane in Russia, Johnny? Do you like Stéphane? Are you two friends?_  
*~*  
It takes about five minutes into the train ride from Moscow to Saint Petersburg for Johnny to start thinking that maybe he really doesn’t like Stéphane at all.

“Did you take my copy of _Anna Karenina_ from my bag?” Johnny asks him. It’s more or less a rhetorical question as Stéphane is holding the open copy of the book (branded with the initials “Д. В.” in the back cover), a sheepish smile on his face.

“I heard you talking about it to Brian.” Stéphane responds. “He did not seem interested, so I thought I could read it and we could talk about it.”  


“You should have asked first,” Johnny says. “Now I can’t trust you with my things – what’ll you steal next, my eyelash curler?”

“I have one, so no,” Stéphane says, turning a page. “Interesting,” he mutters.

“What is?”

“This book.”

“Wait ‘till you get to the end,” Johnny says. “You’ll burst into tears, for sure.”

“But will you wipe them off my face?” Stéphane asks, still smiling.

“You’re something else,” Johnny says, shaking his head.

*~*

So maybe Stéphane’s not so bad after all, Johnny thinks.

He’s a slow reader, though, and threatens to rip Johnny’s book in half if he says anything that will spoil the story for him. Despite that, he’s attentive and has many things to say – Johnny relishes their conversations as it’s not every day that he gets to discuss Tolstoy with another person; most of his friends don’t really read books that weren’t written by celebrities. As much as Johnny enjoys dishing about other skaters, fashion, and music, that’s not all he has opinions on.

They argue about the book, though. Stéphane says that he admires Anna for choosing to follow her heart above all else, but Johnny’s not convinced.

“It _sounds_ great, don’t get me wrong. Beautiful, even. But I just keep thinking about her son.”

Stéphane nods. “Your motherly instincts coming out, yes, I understand.”

Johnny sticks out his tongue like an irritable five year old; he hasn’t done that in years. “And here I thought we were going to have an intellectual conversation. If you’re just going to be annoying, I’ll go find someone else to talk to –

Before he can storm out to make a point, he feels Stéphane’s hand grabbing his arm.

“Stay,” he says softly. When Johnny turns to look at him, he’s dumfounded by the serious look on Stéphane’s face. “I was only teasing.”

Johnny nods. “I know, I was just being a diva.” As soon as he says that, Stéphane regains the playful look on his face. Johnny is relieved.

*~*

It must be at least three in the morning, when Johnny hears the scratching on his door. He ignores it for a while, telling himself that he’s just hearing things or perhaps even dreaming.

“Johnny?” a faint voice whispers. “It’s Stéphane.”

Johnny shuts his eyes and pulls his blanket over his head. “What do you want?” he hisses. “Shouldn’t you be asleep like a normal person?”

“I finished the book, Johnny.”

“Uh huh,” Johnny says, eyes still closed. He could drift back into sleep any second now. _So Stéphane finished Anna Karenina at three in the morning, couldn’t he wait until tomorrow to tell me?_

… _shit_.

Groaning, he peels himself off the makeshift bed and opens the door. Sure enough, Stéphane is standing there clutching _Anna Karenina_ , his eyes sad.

“Come on,” Johnny says. “Let’s get you some tea. And some tissues.”

*~*

Somewhere between the two cups of tea and wiping of Stéphane’s tears, they fall asleep in the hallway. They’re woken up by a stern Russian passenger trying to make his way to the bathroom; Johnny is embarrassed to find Stéphane’s head resting on his shoulder when he opens his eyes.

 _Izvinite,_ Johnny says to the man in a low, apologetic voice. The man does not answer but simply harrumphs, maneuvering himself over Johnny and Stéphane like they’re some sort of obstacle course.

“Stéphane, wake up,” Johnny hisses. He tries poking him, shaking him from the shoulders, and pulling his earlobes. Nothing works until Johnny gets the brilliant idea to tickle him. That does the trick. Stéphane jolts out of his sleep and groans.

“We fell asleep during your therapy session,” Johnny tells him.

“Are we in Saint Petersburg yet?” Stéphane asks, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

“I don’t think so,” Johnny says. “Now, come on, let’s go to sleep for real.”

“I will not be able to sleep without you,” Stéphane declares dramatically. “I will have nightmares of trains and Anna Karenina.”

“Don’t be weird,” Johnny tells him.

*~*

When they finally arrive in Saint Petersburg, Johnny can hardly contain his excitement. Although he knows there’s rehearsals, meetings with fans, and a show to skate in, he’s already planning to peruse the boutiques in Gostiny Dvor before he leaves – the last time he’d been in Petersburg, he’d found the cutest pair of Dolce & Gabanna shoes, they were to die for. He kind of wishes it were colder so he’d have an excuse to buy a new fur coat.

*~*

Of course, when he finally finds the time to go on his shopping spree, Stéphane wants to come with him.

“I kind of thought I’d go on my own,” Johnny tells him while they’re sitting in the metro. “You know, so I can relax?”

Stéphane pretends not to hear him.

*~*

It’s not until they’re sitting at Shokoladnitsa drinking coffee and sharing a chocolate blini that Johnny says, “Fine, you win.”

“What do you mean?”

Johnny sighs. “You’re not completely unbearable to be around. Most of the time, anyway.”

“I am always fun to be around,” Stéphane protests. “You and I, we’re always laughing together, and having a lot of fun. I do not see you like this with other people.”

Johnny just rolls his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself so much. It’s not like we’re best friends or anything.”

*~*

Backstage in LA before practice for Yu-Na’s show, Johnny decides (again) that Stéphane is most definitely a nuisance and kind of a weirdo and nothing else. Any fledgling good thoughts he had in his mind have flown out the window.

“I’m going to kill him,” he mutters. Patrick Chan overhears him and scuttles away.

Johnny finds Stéphane on the floor, stretching. His headphones are on and a familiar Russian pop song is blasting. Johnny had showed it to Stéphane at one point while they were in Russia. For a second, Johnny thinks it’s kind of sweet that Stéphane remembered the song enough to put it on his own ipod, but he reminds himself that he’s mad at him.

Johnny stands in front of Stéphane, tapping his foot impatiently. Stéphane doesn’t look up until the song is over. “Hi,” he says, obviously ignoring the angry look on Johnny’s face.

“Don’t ‘hi’ me,” Johnny says. “Did you take my eyelash curler?”

Stéphane raises his eyebrows, pretending to be deep in thought. “Oh yes,” he says. “I forgot mine, and I know where in your bag you keep yours. I’ll give it back, I promise.”

“I swear, it’s the same thing with you over and over. First, the book, then those two hundred rubles you ‘borrowed’ without asking me in Russia because you were out of cash. I think you have a problem.”

Stéphane ignores him, instead getting up the floor and continuing his stretches.

“You think you’re so cute, don’t you?” Johnny asks him.

“I like to think I am more handsome than cute,” Stéphane jokes.

“You’re so full of shit,” Johnny says.

Stéphane shrugs. “I disagree.”

“But seriously I think you have a kleptomania problem. What’s next, Stéphane….my Balenciaga bag? My skates? The Starbucks gift card I have in my wallet? Ping?”

Stéphane shakes his head. “Those things are safe.”

As Johnny is trying to think of something mean to say, he notices Stéphane’s deep eyes and the way he is moving closer towards him until they’re close enough to touch.  
He suddenly has the urge to wrap his arms around Stéphane's hips, to pull him closer...

Stéphane moves back; Johnny almost lets out a disappointed squeal.

“See, it is working.”

“What is?” Johnny asks. He’s in a daze.

“I’ve already started stealing your heart.” And with that, he goes in for the kiss, which Johnny takes gladly, realizing that maybe, just maybe, he really does like Stéphane after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Shokoladnitsa: popular coffee-shop chain in Russia.


End file.
